


The Dare

by godcomplexfics (godtiercomplex)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: (Don't do drugs kids), Gen, I feel like I was peer pressured into this lol, Nyotalia, i don't remember why I wrote this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 16:10:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8216230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godtiercomplex/pseuds/godcomplexfics
Summary: Batal dares Tanisha to take something of Raksha’s. Neither are expecting the outcome.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Batal Awad is Afghanistan, Tanisha Khan is Bangladesh, Raksha Shukla is India, and this is my first ever fic featuring the SA family nyotalia style. 
> 
> Other notable appearances are:   
> Chun-Yan: China  
> Alice: England  
> Leki: Bhutan
> 
> You can see the nyotalia designs [ (if the link is working? I'll fix it at some point.)!](https://aphsouthasia.tumblr.com/post/138252283308/sa-fam-nyotalia-sketchesconcepts-drawn-by)

 

It happened like this: Batal leaned over to Tanisha during a lull in the meeting, and said: 

“I bet you that you can’t convince Raksha to part with one of her bangles.” The gold bangles in question were flashing on their relative’s wrists as the lady in question argued with Chun-Yan about borders and soldier movements, and significant issues like that. 

“Why would I want to?” Tanisha asked. 

“Because she never is without them. In order to get her to give one of them up, you’d have to come up with a wonderful story.” 

“Okay but why?”

“Because I’m bored and think you can’t do it.” 

Tanisha narrowed her eyes at him, and considered Raksha. America had jumped into the debate, and it looked like France would be intervening sooner than later. 

“I can do it,” she declared, “I’ll get one before lunch is over.” She flipped her brown hair over her shoulders, and stared at Raksha. 

* * *

 

Raksha was difficult to read. She might always have a ready smile on her face, but those who knew her truly were aware that that smile was pure poison. A promise of a instantaneous death.

Raksha was currently angrily ripping through her cigarette pack to offer Tanisha one. 

“It helps with my appetite,” she was saying, “Leki will scold me if I skip lunch but I really need one after that thing with Chun-Yan. That bitch!” Raksha opened up the pack, and pulled out two cigarettes. She offered one to Tanisha who took it, and then waited as Tanisha pulled out her own lighter to light them both up. 

“Well, you have to accept some of the fault too,” Tanisha settled on saying. Raksha narrowed her golden eyes, and frowned. It twisted her usual classic face into something like a demon’s mask. It had frightened the hell out of Tanisha and her siblings when they had been younger. Especially with the cigarette in her hand, and the smoke curling up around her face, and out of her lips. 

“I don’t have to accept  _ anything, _ ” Raksha insisted, “I’m not at fault here.” 

“I guess that’s tru--”

“You guess?” 

Tanisha shrugged, “It’s true.” Better to give in, and get what she wanted from this conversation. Which was, “May I borrow one of your bangles?” 

“No.” A quick answer, and then, “Why?” 

“You know the gala next weekend? I wanted to have something nice to wear with my sari then.”

Raksha considered her, and Tanisha put on her best,  _ I am not bullshitting you  _ face. It must have worked because then Raksha considered her arms. 

“Not these,” she said quietly, “but I can get you something for that night.” 

Raksha sounded so serious that Tanisha was taken back, “Um, all right, that’s fine then.” 

* * *

 

“I don’t see bangles,” Batal said after lunch, when they were walking back to the meeting room. Tanisha jabbed him in the side. 

“I got even better than that. Exclusive access to Raksha’s collection for next Saturday’s gala event.” 

Batal looked down at her, but not by that much. Tanisha was fairly tall herself. 

“Okay, but that’s not what I dared you on.”

“It’s so much better though!” 

Batal shook his head, “For you, I guess sure it’s better.” Tanisha jabbed him again, and he winced, “Fine.”

“So I win,” Tanisha declared. 

“But did you? She’s going to want to see what you’re wearing, and then is going to want you to change it, and all sorts of things. You know how finicky she is about fashion. And you know how rarely you live up to her expectations.” 

“Oh shut up,” Tanisha said. Raksha was bad, but not  _ that  _ bad.

* * *

 

Then Friday evening came and as promised she showed up at Raksha’s house with her selected sari (and a few spare ones in case it did not meet her sister’s exacting standards). Raksha greeted her with a smile (a real one) and they went into one of the spare rooms that Raksha’s huge house had. 

There had to be a small nation’s worth of jewelry laid out on the bed. Tanisha’s first question was  _ how  _ and then  _ why  _ and it all came back to  _ when _ she had gotten all the pieces. Because Tanisha clearly remembered the day when Alice had taken everything from Raksha. Her older sister had been in tears that day, stripped of everything she had carried from century to century. 

“This is way too much stuff for one woman to have,” Tanisha settled on saying, instead of expressing pleasure like Raksha expected. 

Raksha frowned at her, and Tanisha frowned back. 

“This is just enough stuff for one woman to have,” Raksha said. “Now, let me see your sari so we can pick out the proper pieces.”

Tanisha nodded, and opened up the box containing her sari. It was an understated thing, shot through with silver, and it was deep midnight blue. She held her breath to see if Raksha would reject it and if she’d have to pick out another one. 

“Silver then,” Raksha said, staring down at the jewelry before finally picking out pieces at random. It was an organized chaos, just like Raksha herself. Tanisha busied herself with laying out the sari on the bed, and Raksha would drop the odd piece on it before taking it away and replacing it with something else. At the end she finally came up with a combination of jewelry she found acceptable. Tanisha realized belatedly that she was letting her sister play dress up with her like she had in the past. “There, now you will be the jewel of the gala. After me, of course.” 

“Right, whatever,” Tanisha said. She touched the silver bangles and then asked the question that had been on her mind the whole evening. “How did you get all this stuff? Didn’t Alice take everything away?” 

Raksha frowned, and looked at her collection, “Yes, she did. But, your elder sister has her ways. I replaced what could be replaced, and had new ones crafted for what couldn’t be.”

“So she never gave any of it back.” 

“No, I rather suspect they’re lining the halls of museums across Europe.” Raksha’s laugh was a bitter one. She then turned to Tanisha and said, “Come then, let’s see you with it all on.” 

Raksha’s face when she put it all on haunted Tanisha when she went to sleep in the guest room. Her sister had looked so overjoyed when she said, “It suits you.”

* * *

 

Batal raised an eyebrow when he saw Tanisha at the gala. “Is all of that Raksha’s?” he asked in a low voice when they got to their table. Tanisha’s name was written in curly script on a name tag in front of her plate, as were the rest of their siblings who were still mingling.

“Of course it is,” she whispered back. She didn’t even sound bitter about it. Her own collection had nothing on her older sister’s who had been in the business of getting nice and nicer things for herself for centuries. She was starting, for a moment, just a bit, to feel bad for starting this off with the intention of what? Stealing from her sister who had already been robbed before? “She was more than happy to loan me everything.” 

“Loan,” Batal said, and Tanisha knew what he was going to say next, “not give.”

“That bet was stupid,” Tanisha said, “It’s whatever now.”

“Right, okay. So...that means I win.” 

“You don’t  _ win-- _ ”

“Are you two fighting?” Leki came out of nowhere and asked, “You really shouldn’t be when you both look so wonderful tonight.” Leki had a sixth sense for these kind of things. Tanisha groaned, and glared at Batal. 

“You look nice too, Leki,” Batal smiled at Leki. “We were debating is all. If someone quits a bet, that means the other person won, right?” 

“I suppose it does,” Leki said. 

Batal grinned, “So, thus, I won.” 

“What was the bet?” Leki asked. 

Tanisha shook her head as Batal leaned back in his chair, “I bet Tanisha that she couldn’t convince Raksha to part with one of the bangles she’s always wearing.” 

“And she gave up?” Leki considered Tanisha who squirmed in her chair. 

Tanisha sighed, “I gave up.” 

Leki smiled, “That’s for the best. After all, those bangles are made from our father’s remaining things. Raksha has carried them with her ever since his death. They were all that Alice let her keep in the end.” A shadow crossed Leki’s face before she shrugged it off. “They’re far too important to go making bets over.” 

Properly scolded, Batal stopped leaning back, and Tanisha leaned forward. 

“Ugh, now I feel bad,” Tanisha muttered. 

“Same,” Batal said. 

“No need to feel bad,” Leki said, “You didn’t know. It’s not like she goes around advertising it.” 

“True,” Batal said, and then seemed to dismiss his guilt. Tanisha tried her hardest to do the same. 

* * *

 

Later that evening, Raksha and Tanisha crossed paths. Raksha spent a moment readjusting Tanisha’s necklace, and then smiled. 

“You look beautiful, little one,” she said. 

Tanisha suppressed her eyeroll, “Thanks.” Even at this fancy party, Raksha still had on those bangles that were apparently from their dead father. “Why do you always wear those?” she asked, touching a few fingers to her sister’s wrist. 

Raksha looked down and simply said, “Because they give me strength.” 

And Tanisha could understand that in a way. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not happy with this, but it's a decent first attempt at writing these characters.


End file.
